Government

Town Council Approves Funding to Renovate North Fire Station

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The Town Council approved the funds needed to make some major renovations to the North Fire Station to modernize it for the firefighters who live and work there. 

The facility on Orchard Street, also known as Station 3, has five firefighters assigned to it, and runs the Watertown Fire Department’s Engine 1 an Rescue 1 ambulance. The Council approved $1.242 million for the renovations, which will replace or modernize the systems in the building, said Provisional Fire Chief Bob Quinn. “These are long overdue improvements to Station 3,” Quinn said. While there have been some work to the roof within the last couple years and to the floor in 1998, but Quinn said some of the systems are very old. “We will get rid of the old steam radiators and replace them with new heated fin tubes,” Quinn said.

Arrests

Police Log: Wanted Man Tracked Down in Shed, Unruly Patron Breaks Bottles & Computer Screen

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The following information was provided by the Watertown Police Department. Arrests
March 26, 5:34 a.m.: A man discovered that a male friend of his adult daughter was in his home, so the homeowner called police to have the man removed. Police knew that the man had a warrant for his arrest, but when they arrived he was gone. He was spotted a short time later walking down Worcester Street and when officers approached, the man ran away through back yards. Police got the assistance of a State Police search dog and tracked him down inside the shed of a home on Fitchburg Street.

FBI

Watertown Police Lieutenant Returns from FBI Training With New Knowledge and a Brick

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For decades, Watertown Police Lt. James O’Connor has had the goal of attending the FBI’s National Academy, and this year he finally got the chance to be one of the select few members of law enforcement to attend the course. After the intense 10-week program one of the most prize possessions he returned home with was a brick covered in yellow paint sitting on a wooden stand. Just one percent of the nation’s local, county and state law enforcement officers get the chance to attend the National Academy at the FBI Training Academy in Quantico, Virginia. O’Connor was part of a class of 223 people from 48 states and 18 countries outside the U.S.

O’Connor, a Watertown native, first heard about the National Academy when he was a young police. “I have a friend who went through it, and I went to visit him (at the Academy) in 1997,” O’Connor said.

Arrests

Police Log: Shoplifter Chased Down by Police, Two Face Second OUI Charges

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The following information was provided by the Watertown Police Department. Arrests
March 19, 1:20 p.m.: A man was seen going through the self-checkout aisle at Target and scanning some items but not others. When security approached the man he kicked the guard and ran toward the back of the building. A detective who responded to the store saw the man running and chased him down. Security recognized the man from previous shoplifting incidents.

Police/Fire

Four Face Charges After Teenagers Brawl on Street in Watertown

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A disagreement got out of hand and a group of teens and young 20-somethings got into a massive fight, which sent two to the hospital. Four of those involved face criminal charges. 

On March 19 at 2 a.m. a Watertown Police officer was flagged down on Belmont Street near St. Patrick’s Cemetery by a man who said he was jumped by a group of people who were seen running down Ralph Street. At the same time police received 911 calls reporting a fight in the same area. Four people in their late teens were located and they said that they had been attacked by another group of teens.

Police/Fire

Chelsea Man Indicted on Drug Trafficking Charges from Arrest in Watertown

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A Middlesex County grand jury indicted a Chelsea man arrested on drug trafficking charges from an arrest in Watertown. London Cohen, 28, of Chelsea, was charged with trafficking fentanyl, trafficking over 18 grams of cocaine, negligent operation of a motor vehicle, operating a motor vehicle after revocation of license as habitual traffic offender, and failure to stop for police, according to an announcement this week by Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan’s Office. The indictments were handed down between January 18 and March 6, 2018. In April 2017, Cohen led police on a chase through Watertown which included Massachusetts State Police search dogs and a State Police helicopter. He had been the target of a drug sting by the Suburban Middlesex County Drug Task Force after suspicious activity was reported on the Westside of Watertown.

Police/Fire

Watertown Fire Department Promotes Two Members, Welcomes Two Firefighters

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Two Watertown Firefighters took steps up the ladder with the Fire Department, while two more started their careers with the Department. The Watertown Fire Department promoted a captain and a lieutenant and swore in two new firefighters during a ceremony at the Watertown Free Public Library on Friday. William Maietta was promoted to Fire Captain. Ryan Gleason was promoted to Fire Lieutenant. He has been on the Department for 12 years.

Government

Comprehensive Criminal Justice Reform Legislation Moves Forward in State House

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State Sen. Will Brownsberger, from Belmont who represents Watertown, announced that House and Senate have released legislation that would reform the criminal justice system in Massachusetts. Brownsberger included a detailed summary of the legislation on his website. Some of the changes would be:

Strengthen mandatory minimum penalties for opiate trafficking offenses
Reducing minimum mandatory penalties for non-opiate drug offenses
Creating alternatives to prosecution or incarceration for minor offenses
Decriminalizing some minor offenses
Strengthen protections for public safety, including penalties for some types of crime, including corporate manslaughter, homicide by motor vehicle, unlawful possession of a credit card scanner, and high number of repeat OUIs. Improving prisons, and reducing the use of solitary confinement

(Read the entire summary on Brownsberger’s website by clicking here)

Below is the press release from legislators who worked on the legislation:
House and Senate legislators filed their final criminal justice reform conference report with the Senate Clerk on Friday. The consensus legislation is a comprehensive review of the Commonwealth’s criminal justice system.